The 700 Club - July 7, 2011

Well, welcome to The 700 Club. For today’s headlines, let’s go over to the CBN News Desk. Gordon, a controversial bill requiring California’s public schools to teach students the historical contributions of homosexuals sits on Governor Jerry Brown's desk. If he signs it, those textbooks could start appearing, not just in California but around the country. Efrem Graham has the story. The landmark bill is now on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown. We're denying our students a very important chapter in history, a chapter of civil rights. Democrat state Senator Mark Leno wrote the textbook bill and calls the legislation important, because gay students like Javier Pinedo are often bullied. They probably would have let me know that it doesn't have to be so crappy for me. It doesn’t have to be where I’m alone. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure in 2006. Republicans say the bill raises concerns students will be indoctrinated into accepting homosexuality. To get into a history book or a social science textbook, you have to do something that is important for everybody. Randy Thomasson is with SaveCalifornia.com, and he is urging people around the country to speak out against the legislation before Governor Jerry Brown has the chance to sign it. Thomas told CBN News that: California and Texas are the biggest purchasers of textbooks. If there is a new law mandating this lie into textbooks, then it’s going to be sold to other states as well in their textbooks. So no one can say, “Well, that’s just California, great place to visit, a lousy place to live.” No, you need to actually call Jerry Brown and tell him to veto it, because this could eventually be textbooks in your own state as well. Efrem Graham, CBN News. President Obama meets with top lawmakers from both parties today to talk about cutting that massive federal deficit. Democrats want new taxes while Republicans want spending cuts but no new taxes. But Republicans now say they are willing to consider closing tax loopholes for businesses to bring in more money. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, though, says those measures should be coupled with tax cuts. The US government is warning airlines that al Qaeda is working to surgically implant explosives in suicide bombers. It’s not a new idea, but US security officials say there is now intelligence pointing to a renewed interest in that tactic. Experts say there is enough room in the human stomach cavity, for example, for a grapefruit-sized bomb. But they say a bomb that small may not produce a big enough blast to bring down an airplane. Al Qaeda has used human body bombs before for attempted assassinations. They may try to get to use them to target high-level US officials if the bomber can get close enough to someone important. A federal appeals court enforces the military to stop enforcing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Last year the Obama Administration repealed the policy that bans openly gay service members, saying it’s unconstitutional. The Pentagon has been moving carefully to implement the repeal. It was set to take full effect once the president and his senior defense advisors certified that lifting the ban would not hurt troops' ability to fight. But now a three-judge panel at the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has ruled to block the use of the policy immediately. Now let's go back over to Terry to find out what's ahead on today's 700 Club. Well, up next, his business was on the line; and he owed the bank money he didn’t have. I said, “I will bring in a check before you close. He said, “So do you know someone that’s going to bring you a check?” I said, “No, but I will bring it in before you close. Before 5 o’clock I will bring in the check. See how he got the check and saved his business after this. Still ahead . . . . . . . . he ruled the roost. “You do as I say no matter what or you suffer the consequences.” And suffer she did. I was really scared I was going to die. A couple nearly kills each other. We both carried big guns, and we both had bad tempers. On today’s 700 Club. Alicia’s and my marriage was a married made in Hell. Have you ever heard the expression “good as gold?” Well, gold is on everybody’s minds these days, and rightfully so, having risen in value dramatically since 2001. For years now, I’ve been singing the praises of one of the most recognized and trusted names in gold, Swiss America. They believe, like I do, that people need to know what’s good about gold. Gold has withstood the test of time, and so has Swiss America. Now is the time to rediscover gold, because gold offers diversification, profit, potential, and best of all, privacy. Call or visit online now and ask for the Pat Boone DVD, and they will gladly rush out a copy along with other information about getting gold into your nest egg. If you’re going to buy gold, buy it from a company you can trust. I did. And I’ve been a satisfied Swiss America customer for over 15 years. They are as good as gold. Call or log on right now. Publishers Clearing House Rep: You’ve just won the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes! Watch your mail for the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes or go to pch.com and enter. This August 31st you could win $5000 every week for life. Scott and Brandi Spires were $3500 in debt. They promised the bank they’d have the money by the end of the day. There was just one problem; Scott and Brandi had no idea where they were going to get the money. We had a tough time paying our bills. We had a teeny one bedroom apartment and this old, junky car. We only had one couch, one piece of furniture, right after we got married. Like many newlyweds, Scott and Brandi started out with very little. Brandi had just graduated from college and was working at a tutoring company. Scott was finishing his degree and working part time. It was a very emotional time. Brandi and I really had to seek the Lord about how we were supposed to get out of this financial situation which was very tough. Then Brandi learned the tutoring company she worked for was closing, because the owners were leaving the state. Scott suggested they buy the business. It seemed impossible. They had no money for a down payment and thousands of dollars of credit card and student loan debt. I told Brandi, I said, “It’s going to be okay, because I feel like God has put on my heart that we’re supposed to have that business.” So they spoke to the owners, who agreed to sell the tutoring business to the Spires with no down payment. And they agreed the couple would pay them out of the money they brought in the first year. Now, the Spires had their own business and a lot of hard work ahead of them. The first year was financially very rough. With payroll and other expenses, Scott and Brandi weren’t clearing much from the business. But they soon learned a lesson that would turn their finances around. I remember the first day I learned about tithing. We were sitting down watching The 700 Club. And I looked at Brandi and I said, “I think we need to start giving.” We didn’t have much to give, so we gave 20 dollars. Even just $20, when you have to borrow money for food sometimes, it seemed silly and unreasonable to give even 20 dollars. If they didn’t have money, they gave away their possessions. There was one time where we needed 3,500 dollars by five o’clock. And God just put on my heart, “You gave. You did what you’re supposed to do. Everything is going to be okay.” The day before the money was due, the bank called Scott. And so the bank said, “What are you going to do?” And I said, “I will bring in a check before you close.” He said, “So do you know someone that’s going to bring you a check?” And I said, “No.” I said, “But I will bring it in before you close, before five o’clock. I will bring in the check.” And they said, “Okay.” A few hours later, a new student’s mother walked in and paid for a tutoring package in full. She comes in and says, “I want to buy 140 lessons, upfront,” where most parents buy eight or nine. It was about 4:30, so we had 30 minutes to get to the bank. We needed 3,500 dollars and she wrote us a 4,000 dollar check. In just a few years, the Spires’ tutoring business has grown from 20 students to 70, and from four teachers to 10. They’ve bought a house and paid off 40,000 dollars in debt. Well, we give more now, more than what we made before we got the business. So it’s been absolutely amazing about how God has blessed us completely with our personal and business finances. He’ll do the same for you. He’s a generous God. He gives, and He keeps on giving. What does it take? Well, it just takes following what He tells us to do. Here it is from Proverbs 11:24-25. “Give freely. Give freely, and become more wealthy. Be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Now, Scott and Brandi learned it. They learned that secret. And even when they had nothing, they said, “Well, what can we give away? Can we find things in our home that we’re no longer using or we don’t need? And we can we find somebody to bless with that? Can we start giving of what we already own? It’s not necessarily cash. Can we go out and help people?” And in that process of helping others, of giving to others, God refreshed them and found a way to bless them beyond what they could imagine, where they now give away more than they used to make. Don’t think this is some fairytale kind of story. This is real. This is real people. It really happened to them. They tested God, and God responded. And that can happen to you. Terry. More than 1,500 people were killed when Typhoon Durian slammed into the Philippines. Emma and her children survived that storm, but they lost nearly everything they owned. Emma huddled with her young children as the hurricane hit. The wind and rain were so strong that our house shook. When the walls started coming down, I was afraid that my children would be pinned under them. When Typhoon Durian struck the Philippines, it destroyed everything in its path, including Emma’s home and small farm. I couldn’t help but weep. We lost everything. And I felt so sorry for my children. Emma’s husband has to work far away for a construction company in Manila. He sends money each month for food. But there was never any left over to rebuild their house or replant their crops. There was nothing we could do but pray and hope that someday we would get back on our feet again. Operation Blessing had come to the region to provide disaster relief and medical care and decided to help Emma’s family to rebuild her damaged home. And when we learned that the closest water supply was a 30-minute walk from Emma’s home, Operation Blessing dug a well for the entire community. Finally, to help Emma to plant new crops, we gave her water buffalo, something she has never been able to afford. The water buffalo is a great help. Now, it’s easy to haul firewood and to bring our produce to the market in town. Emma’s farm is doing so well that she in now able to help her neighbors when they are in trouble. And as for the house that Operation Blessing built, it hasn’t leaked even once. We thought that the storm was the end of us, but Operation Blessing helped us out through the goodness of their hearts. I surely thank God for them. Initially, after a disaster like that, you’re grateful just to have survived. And then the reality of what you’re facing hits. These are people who had nothing, no way to rebuild their lives. And then you showed up in the midst of that trauma and you gave them hope and a future. That’s happening to people all around the world, because we are, through Operation Blessing, often first responders in the midst of disasters like this. And so we thank you for making it possible for us to be there. We’re bringing hope and help to people around the world. It’s 700 Club members doing that. Join the 700 Club today, if you’re not a member already. It’s 35 cents a day, 20 dollars a month. You can do that by calling the number that’s on your screen, 1-800-759-0700. You can also log on to CBN.com. And when you call and join, say, “I’d like to do it using Pledge Express.” That’s electronic monthly giving. It m your bank does all the work. I love it. It means you don’t have to remember to mail anything, to have stamps on hand. It’s all done electronically for you. You can stop or start it any time that you want, but it saves us a lot of administrative costs. That means we can put even more of your gift right into the work in the field. So please, use Pledge Express. Our way of saying thank you for doing that is to send you “Power for Life” teachings once a month. We think this will be a blessing to you and that you’ll enjoy the Word of God brought into your own heart and life. Thank you for caring about others. Gordon. Well, coming up on the program, a toxic relationship full of guns and violence. Anything could set me off. I started shooting holes in the house. And I was real heavy-handed. I’d blackened her eyes. I really can’t even say that we loved each other. We were addicted to each other. See how this couple saved their lives and their marriage. Coming up later: I grew up in Baghdad in a family of 10 kids. She’s a student from Iraq . . . . And I would sit home and watch the war right outside my door. . . . . and her world is about to change, because he life has just been saved by her worst enemy. Everything that I know about everything in my life is wrong. While Mary feeds her two young daughters, she also helps feed needy families around the world. While Bob hands a drink out to a co-worker, he helps give water to villages with new wells. And while Carl builds a house for his son’s new puppy, he helps rebuild homes in disaster areas. These people all have something in common. They’re CBN partners who have joined Pledge Express. I hope you’ll consider joining Pledge Express, too. It’s a way to simplify your own life while speeding help to others, all at the same time. There are no checks to remember or stamps to buy, and your gift goes to work faster, helping those who need it most. So join us and change the world for someone today. If you’re one of the millions of Americans without dental insurance, ask yourself these three important questions. One, does your company not offer dental insurance? Two, are you self employed? Three, are you retired. If you answered yes to any of these, it’s important that you call Encore Dental today. Encore Dental is real insurance, and your acceptance is guaranteed. You’ll receive up to 100 percent coverage for preventative care and up to 50 percent on basic and major procedures. Encore Dental can help keep your teeth healthy which may prevent infections that lead to heart disease and stroke. And with the high cost of procedures, it makes sense to have great coverage. Choose your level of benefits. There are no claims to fill out and no waiting for reimbursement. So go ahead, review it for 30 days. Call 1-800-671-6148. Call now, and save an additional ten percent. Call now and save an additional ten percent. You’ve heard of a marriage made in Heaven. Well, Robert Happoldt said his marriage was made in Hell. He and his wife, Alicia, were both gun-toting heavy drinkers who abused drugs and each other. They could have ended up killing one another. Instead, they ended up behind bars. They say some women are attracted to dangerous men. Robert Happoldt was a biker and a rebel. But the danger that seemed so exciting in the beginning turned into something much more sinister. Alicia and my marriage was a marriage made in Hell. I really can’t even say that we loved each other. We were addicted to each other. From the start, Robert had just one rule. You do what I say, no matter what. Or you suffer the consequences. I was really scared I was going to die. The only thing holding their marriage together was their drug addiction. When Alicia was five, a man began sexually abusing her and introduced her to marijuana. I didn’t feel right about what was going on, but they tell you not to tell. And respecting what adults tell me, I didn’t tell. Throughout her childhood, a series of sexual predators abused her. When I was 13, I started doing the drugs to cover up the pain and the shame. Robert, too began using drugs in school hoping it would make him popular. He soon found his niche, selling drugs to his classmates. When Robert and Alicia married, they went into business together, dealing cocaine and meth. Their vices fueled the fights at home. When I drank, I was a mean drunk. I’d turn violent right off the bat. Anything would set me off. Not doing something I said. I’d start shooting holes in the house. And I was real heavy handed. I’m ashamed of this, but I’ve blackened her eyes. I was a bad person, but it was normal. We both carried big guns, and we both had bad tempers. I loved him but I hated him, because I hated being treated like that. I had been treated violently before but never that violently. And it made me hate him. I would try to leave, and he would always find me and drag me back. Or even if he didn’t find me, I always wanted to come back because I felt like that loved him. Years of living in terror eventually wore her down. It’s a lot of depression and stress and anxiety. I can remember at times feeling like I was going to have a heart attack. I knew that it was an anxiety attack. The more I tried to fill that void with drugs and alcohol, whatever we were doing, the bigger that void got, the bigger black hole it got. Alicia found an unlikely refuge from the violence. Authorities raided their home, and arrested them on drug charges. They both ended up in prison. After I’d been in the jail for about three weeks, I woke up one morning and I had a moment of clarity, I guess. Finally the little brain working a little bit, not all drugged out. And I just raised my hands that morning and I said, “Okay, Lord.” I said, “You know what,” I said, “This is no life.” I said, “I give it up. I give it all over to you. I’m done. Do with me as you please.” When Jesus came into my life, that big old black hole right there got filled up with Jesus and it’s overflowing now. Robert wanted nothing to do with God, but one prison minister wouldn’t give up on him. And every Thursday this fellow would come back to talk about Jesus. I didn’t want to hear it. And he came to me one time and told me that he had a message from God for me. And I’m like, “This dude’s hearing voices. He’s nuttier than I am.” He says, “Robert, I have a message from God for you. God is tired of knocking on the door of your heart. If you don’t answer Him, you’re gone, you’re lost, you’re going to Hell.” And it still scares me. That night Robert had trouble sleeping. God woke me up at two o’clock in the morning, and I was in a tizzy. I was crying. I opened the Bible up and it fell to 2nd Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone.” And my question was, “What do you want with me?” And I didn’t believe there was a God, but I’m asking, “God, what do you want with me? I’m nothing. Look what I’ve done. Look at the lives I’ve destroyed and the trouble I’ve caused, what I’ve put my wife through, my family through, other people’s family.” And I accepted the Lord right there in that jail. I got saved. The next morning the world was different. Well, the world wasn’t different, but I was different. The hate was gone. Jesus freed them both from drug addiction. After they were released from prison, God healed and restored their marriage. I have totally forgiven Robert for everything that has gone on. I have forgiven my abusers for everything. He’s never hit me again since we’ve been out of prison. He hasn’t raised his hand to me. And all I can just tell you why I don’t beat my wife no more is that the person she married then no longer exists. She went through a lot because of me. She deserved better, but she hung around. And God is the one who turned it around. I know that he’s not that man anymore. He really has set me up on a pedestal. He really does treat me like a little queen. She’s the most precious thing in life. I don’t know what life would be without her. Today Alicia and Robert are members of Heaven’s Saints. They ride across the country to share the healing and deliverance they found in Jesus. God’s cool. I get to ride my motorcycle. I get to go out and minister to hurting people. If you’ve got Jesus, and you’re really depending on Him, and you’re learning the Word and learning how to apply it to your life, you can overcome any kind of temptation. Through Jesus Christ, anything can be changed. But now I use all that bad stuff to minister to the world. And my story, if it can touch one person and show them that there is hope, that’s what Christ is. He’s hope. Christ is hope. All you have to do is turn to Him. All you have to do is ask Him. Don’t make God weary knocking at the door of your heart. Don’t wait until you’re in prison. You can do it now. You can have that new life now. And don’t buy the lie of the world that somehow or other, if you have God in your life you’re no longer cool. Did you hear Robert? “God’s cool. I get to ride around on my motorcycle.” He wants you to have fun. I mean, who created fun? Who created play? God did. God did. He wants good things for us. He’s not trying to keep the good from us. He’s trying to lead us into green pastures, lead us beside still waters. He’s trying to satisfy your soul. And He wants so earnestly to do that. Well, if you’ve been looking to satisfy your soul with drugs and alcohol, if you’re looking to self-medicate all that pain away, you’re not doing anything but covering up the symptom. Go to the cure. Just turn to Him and ask Him in. He’ll do it. You can be like Alicia and just have a moment of clarity and say, “God, I turn it all over to you.” You can be like Robert, where the world changes and then you realize, “Well, no, the world didn’t change. I did.” All that anger, all that hurt, all of it can leave, and you can become new again. You can become what you were originally created to do, and that is enjoy a relationship with your Creator, where He’ll speak to you, He’ll guide you, He’ll be your all in all. Now, if you want this, if this is for you, don’t turn away, don’t change this channel. But now, just ask Him in. Just bow your head and pray a very simple prayer. If you’re wondering if any of this is real, if God’s real, that can be your prayer, “God are you real? Jesus, is this true? Are you really there? Will you really come?” The answer to all our questions, all of them, is “yes.” But He’s just waiting for you to ask. So today, ask. He’ll show you. Pray with me. “Lord Jesus.” That’s right, say it out loud. “Jesus, I come to you and I want to know you. I want to have a relationship with you. I want you to change me and to satisfy everything I’m longing for. Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of all the things that I’ve done wrong. Make me new again. And, Jesus, if you’ll do this, I’ll follow you all the days of my life. Hear my prayer, for I pray it in Jesus’ name.” Father, for those who just prayed, I ask for a baptism in your love. I ask that you wash away all the anger, all the bitterness, all the hurt, all the pain. Make them new again. And we break any addiction, any chain on their lives, now. In Jesus’ name. Amen. If you prayed with me, the Bible says that you need to tell somebody. You need to confess that you’ve made Jesus Lord of your life, that you’ve asked Him in. And we’ve made it easy for you. All you have to do is call a toll-free number, 1-800-759-0700. When you call, we’ve got a packet for you. It’s called “A New Day.” And, yes, you just took the first step on a new day. In here is a CD teaching on how to live the Christian life. There’s also a booklet available for you filled with Bible verses, Scripture reference guide. All that’s free. We encourage you to join a local church. It’s in the fellowship of believers that you grow in Christ. We also encourage you to go through water baptism. All of this is necessary just to tell everyone that you’ve died to the old way and you want to embrace newness of life with Jesus. It starts with that phone call, though. Make it right now. 1-800-759-0700. Terry, over to you. Well, coming up, an unlikely friendship forged on the battlefield of war. We knew that the people who were attacking us are Americans, so we grew up with the idea that America is so bad. There was a reason that this woman had been put in my life, and she was going to die if I didn’t do something. Hear what took this friendship from the heart of war to the heartland of America. That’s next. Brenda, you gotta see the video I saw on The 700 Club. I pray God will do the same awesome work in your life. Go to CBN.com to, “I saw it on The 700 Club,” for a fast, easy way to see and share your favorite videos. When you look in the mirror, can you imagine erasing years of aging? That's what I used to look like. Lifestyle Lift takes only about an hour. See the difference immediately. I'm Linda. I'm 70 years old. Can you believe it? Call now for a free information kit. It's quick, affordable, and takes only about an hour. Lifestyle Lift, a breakthrough medical procedure that helps remove wrinkles, frown lines and sagging skin. Call now for a free information kit. Consultations are free. Call Lifestyle Lift today. Watch your mail for the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes or go to pch.com and enter. This August 31st you could win $5000 every week for life. Welcome back to The 700 Club. The army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood Texas could face the death penalty. Major Nidal Hasan is set to be tried in a military court where he could receive the death penalty if convicted. Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder for the 2009 shooting spree. He is an American born Muslim. Witnesses testified that he shouted “Allahu Akbar,” before the shootings. That’s Arabic for “God is great.” Women who live a healthy lifestyle cut their risk of sudden cardiac death by more than 90 percent. A new study defines a healthy lifestyle as not smoking, keeping weight down, exercising regularly, and eating healthy. Experts say they knew that healthy living helped prevent many chronic diseases, but they were surprised at how strongly lifestyle factors were associated with preventing sudden cardiac death. You can always get the latest from CBN News by going to our website at CBNews.com. 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This is a limited offer, so call now. Growing up in Baghdad, RafRaf Barrack watched bombs streak across the sky and felt explosions shake her house. But as terrifying as that was, it was nothing compared to her scariest job: working with an American reporter. Don Teague and RafRaf Barrack. Ten years ago, their lives were as different as could be. Don was a respected journalist with a family and the American dream. RafRaf Barrack was a young Muslim woman living in Baghdad, struggling to find herself in a war torn existence. Then it happened: September 11, 2001. When September 11, I had an overwhelming feeling that my life was going to change. It was shortly after that that I ended up being hired by NBC News, and I was going to find myself in a war. I grew up in Baghdad in a family of 10 kids. I was 10 years old when the Gulf War started. And I would sit home and watch the war right outside my door and it’s bombing. To us it was colors in the sky and loud noises. And we would ask my parents about it, and they would say, “Oh, it’s just bad people. We later knew that the people who were attacking us are Americans. So we grew up with the idea that America is so bad. RafRaf’s government sent her to major in English. Despite her fear of Americans, RafRaf became a translator for NBC in 2003. It was kind of a struggle to just stay focused. This is a job. I need to make the money, and I need to be careful until I know who these people are. People didn’t see me as someone that is helping the country. Don Teague was on assignment in Baghdad when he struck up an unlikely friendship with his translator, RafRaf. The two were on assignment together at a local school when insurgents attacked. RIt was supposed to be a happy story, talking to the kids, talking to everybody. They said, “Oh, we have one more interview.” We went. We stood there. We were trying to do the interview, when the bomb went off. And when it went off, I could not think of a thing at that time. I just froze in my place. The first thing I heard after that was Don’s voice. He was saying, “RafRaf, it’s a bomb. Come inside. Come inside.” So we ran to the car, and everyone got their body vests. And Don at the time put his body vest on and looked at me, and said, “Where’s yours?” RafRaf didn’t have her body armor that day. He took his and put it on me, and said, “Here, take mine.” I just was aware of the fact that I was alive and I was so happy that I was alive. And I was going to get to go home to my wife and kids. And RafRaf was there next to me. And she was home. This was as good as it was going to get for her. So then all these ideas started like hitting me in the head, like, “What if these kids are hurt? What if one of them got killed in this bombing? Why would my own people kill my own people for such a reason? Why would a foreigner that I don’t even know that I just met a few weeks ago give me his vest?” It was a wake up call to me that maybe everything that I know about everything in my life is wrong. And maybe I need to rethink every single step of my life. All of the crew members managed to escape unharmed that day. There was reason that this woman had been put in my life. And she was going to die if I didn’t do something. Don and his wife Kiki, with the help of other NBC correspondents, fought to bring RafRaf to the United States for asylum. It took seven months of really beating our heads against the wall. It was impossible. But during those seven months, despite the odds, Don and Kiki prayed and held tight to their faith. And RafRaf finally made it safely to the United States. But it wasn’t until I saw her sitting in my living room the day she got here, she still had her scarf on. She had her long clothes on. And it just hit me like a ton of a bricks. I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. She’s left everything.” I could see how much God loved her, not because of who she was going to be or what she was going to do, but just because of who she was. He just loved her. I was looking at the way they treated me. They opened more than just their house to me. They opened their hearts. And I had a talk with Kiki. I said, “Why are you helping me?” And she said, “God told me to.” And I did not understand, because I don’t’ know that God. And at the time, all I have in mind is the god that I had grew up with. And yes, I didn’t have that much of a strong relationship with him. And then I started questioning other things, like, why was I saved? Why was I that lucky? I was in a bombing. I was in a shooting. I was in a kidnapping attempt. I was in so many different things, but I stayed safe. Okay, wait a second, that’s the God that she’s talking about. That’s the God that has saved me. That’s the God that had been with me along the way. Finally, after four years in the United States, a dream helped RafRaf make a decision. I was dying in the dream, and I was running away from my house, which had the word “sin” on it. In the dream, RafRaf found herself on the edge of a mountain with no way to cross to the other side. There’s this lady that tells me that I’m going to die any minute, and she needs to tell me the words. She needs to teach me words to cross the bridge to God. But I couldn’t even understand the words. And I’m like, “Teach me quick.” And then I died. And I woke up. And I was really scared. And I went and grabbed my computer, and it came out with this site that said, “Imagine yourself on the edge of a mountain.” I’m like, “He must be with me in the dream.” And it goes to explain that this is where you in life, and you are with your sins on one side of that mountain, on that edge. And the only way to cross that gap between you and the other edge of the mountain to God is by accepting Christ. One week later, RafRaf asked Kiki to help her pray. Kiki led her through a prayer to receive Christ. It’s a relationship. It feels whenever I need Him, I can talk to Him. It’s a love relationship, respect and friendship, not fear. I’m not scared of God. I love Him. Today, RafRaf is attending university and is touring the country with Don to share her story. The two have collaborated on a book called Saved By Her Enemy. I think that if you look at the story of RafRaf and see how He moved in her life over a series of years and so many things that there was no other way to explain that ultimately led her to Him. I think that becomes a message of the book. I just hope that people would realize that there is more to God and there is more to people. And when God is working in people’s lives, it’s all different, because God is working in everybody’s life in a different way. Whether it’s little or much, He is there and He is doing His work. And part of what he is always doing is drawing us close to Him. Wanting to reveal more of who He is. Wanting to love us more. Wanting to take care of and forgive everything that's tried to devastate our lives. Wanting to give us new life, wanting to give us hope, a future. RafRaf discovered all of that and you can, too. You see, what she found was truth. And the Bible says that when you know the truth, the truth itself will set you free. You know what Jesus said? He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the light." He is the truth. He is the bridge that allows us to cross over the gap of our sins and have fellowship with God our Father. You can have that today. It's for anybody who will call upon the name of the Lord. Have you ever invited Jesus into your heart? Have you ever given your life to God? That's what we were created for, and maybe you've never heard of it until this moment. But just as RafRaf said, all these things that happened in her life led up to something. It was all God moving, guiding, pulling, pushing, wanting to reveal himself. And it's true if you're watching this program today. It's not chance that you're watching this, hearing her story. God is saying to you today, "Come home. Come home to my heart. Come home to my purposes, my plans for you." Today would you like to know the truth and be set free? The truth is God has always loved you. You're created in His image and likeness to have relationship with Him. Now, come home to the Father heart of God today. Pray with me. Just ask Him into your life. Surrender who you are and what you have and receive everything He wants to give you. Let's pray together. "God, I want to know you this way. I don't want to be afraid of you. I want to be able to say what RafRaf says. I want you to be my friend, and I want to be your friend. I want to be your child. I want you to be my father. I want to know what that means, and I want my life to be changed, God. So, today I'm coming to you and I'm giving it all to you, everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I'm asking you to take my life and make something significant out of it for you, for your kingdom. God, forgive my sins. Give me a fresh beginning. Change my heart, the way that I think, my behavior. I want to live for you. I want to know you. So, I'm giving it all to you today and I'm asking you to teach me your ways. Fill me with your Holy spirit. I want you to replace the things that I've put in my life with the things of your choosing, with truth. Thank you, God. I receive it all from you today. In Jesus' name, Amen." If you've prayed that prayer, then you have received it all. Now walk in it. How do you do that? Well, get a hold of a Bible, a modern English translation, go to the New Testament, and begin to read the book of John, it's often called God's love letter to us. Read what He has to say about who He is and how much He loves us, and then get involved in a Bible teaching church. It will change your life having fellowship with other believers, and you're going to want to be baptized, this is a new beginning for you. That's an outward expression of the commitment you just made privately with Jesus. So, do all of that, and if you have questions, if you need more prayer, call us, we'd love to pray with you. That's our toll-free number. It's 1-800-759-0700. You can also communicate with us on-line at CBN.com, and if you've prayed that prayer we'd like to send you this packet, it's called "A New Day," filled with information from the Word of God, to help you grow in your relationship with Him, so ask for it when you call. We're going to be back with more of The 700 Club right after this. Stay with us. Coming up next, their baby beat the odds once . . . . So we just chalked it up as, we're done. This is great. He's had the miracle that we prayed for. . . . . then he had to do it again. I watched Michael come in and out of life wondering, “Is he going to pull through this one?” My name is Roger Stump, and I’m a cancer survivor. The surgeon said it's inoperable. “It's already in your liver.” My wife, Brenda, sat there and cried; and I'm thinking, “I can't die right now. I'm only 52 years old.” I was so distraught. I've heard Cancer Treatment Centers of America have experience with pancreatic cancers. It was like night and day. The hospital just breeds an environment of hope. You get a CT scan, and the next morning the results were read to you. We’d go up there; I just knew it was going to be a good result. You could just see the joy on Dr. Granik’s face. Call now and we’ll show you how the most compassionate people anywhere put you at the center of everything we do. Together, we'll explore real treatment options you may not even know exist. Cancer Treatment Centers of America. It is such a different place, because they give you hope. I would strongly urge you to call them and get a second opinion. Please call today. Well, doctors told Marcy and Tom Habbe that their baby son had only a ten percent chance of being born alive. When he survived, the Habbes considered it a miracle. As it turned out, another miracle was yet to come. At the 20-week ultrasound they realized his heart was incredibly messed up. It was on the wrong side of his body. It was backwards. Things didn’t match up. Doctors encouraged Marcy Habbe to terminate the pregnancy. Instead, she and her husband Tom held on to the ten percent chance that their baby would survive. Michael’s heart rate was half of where it should be, and fluid was building up around his heart. It was hard for me, because as a radiologist, I see all these ultrasounds. That happens in the textbooks, and I see it occasionally at work. But it doesn’t happen to me, and it doesn’t happen to my friends. I begged and begged all of our friends, family to pray. Everyone was surprised at how healthy Michael looked when he was born, even though he had a rare heart disease. Still, the doctors decided he was well enough to go home. So we just chalked it up as we’re done. This is great. He’s had the miracle that we prayed for. And we got on with our lives, and he was a beautiful, normal, healthy baby. When he was two years old, Michael began to lose his color and his appetite. Tom and Marcy took him to a cardiology specialist in Omaha. We really thought that they were going to change his medicines. We’d take him to the zoo. He’d get to see all the little animals, and we’d bring him home. But Michael wasn’t going home. His heart was failing, and he had severe pulmonary hypertension. He desperately needed a heart and lung transplant and was airlifted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Doctors didn’t know whether Michael would survive the day, much less the potentially long wait for a suitable donor. Over the course of the next few days, he had multiple cardiac arrests over and over and over again. So now we are standing at the back watching our son being coded and trying with chest compressions, drugs, anything they can do to try and get his heart going again. And all we can do is pray. When you are watching your son die and there’s nothing you can do but pray. I watched Michael come in and out of life wondering, “Is he going to pull through this one?” Close family and all our friends, all the people at school continually prayed for us all the time, prayed for Michael. When you are in that situation, you feel that. You feel the grace. You feel the lift of the work that they’re doing. Those prayers not only sustained the family, but something amazing happened. I’ve never seen a kid who has arrested eight times, and we were able to get them back every single time. Michael was alive, but seriously ill. Dr. Gandhi recommended using a Berlin Heart. The treatment could buy Michael more time. This is the blood pump of the Berlin Heart. The blood exits through one tube, comes into the pump, and then goes into the patient through another tube. It was a bit risky at that point, because, first, we hadn’t done very many Berlin Hearts, and we’d never done one in this sort of circumstance. I think the chances of him living without this sort of therapy were zero. After almost eight hours in surgery, Dr. Gandhi successfully attached the device to Michael’s abnormal heart. Then five weeks later, Michael had another remarkable breakthrough: his lungs improved. He was totally healed of pulmonary hypertension. Now the Habbe family had one more major hurdle. They waited and prayed for a heart transplant. One morning when Dr. Gandhi came in, I said, “I think this pager is broken.” And I started joking about it. And he goes, “Your pager is broken?” I said, “Yes, it won’t go off.” And he said, “Well, mine did.” And I just looked at him and I started screaming. I go, “What?” And I started screaming so loud, and all the nurses came running in. A donor’s heart was matched to Michael. And we were so excited to think that he may live. If we can get this heart, he has a chance. Michael’s heart transplant was a success. There was an electric buzz in the room, and everybody knew that this was something special. What happened to Michael was nothing short of a miracle. His brain works just fine, as well as the rest of his organs. He’s one of the true success stories that I’ve dealt with. In that time, God was asking us to just trust Him. And we got to see that He’s very trustworthy. He never left us high and dry. God always was there. He was always pulling us through. And Michael’s short little life is so extraordinary. More than three years later, Michael is perfectly healthy and full of energy. I’m glad to have a new heart. And Dr. Gandhi helped me, and a lot of people prayed for me. God has really shown me the preciousness of life through my children. Life is a gift, and God gives us that gift, and it’s something precious to take care of. It is something precious to take care of. God uses a lot of different resources, He'll use doctors. He'll use medicine. He'll use transplants; and He's the one, ultimately that’s responsible for all of the healing. We can lean into Him. We can trust Him. He's going to be there with you, even when you're coded. I like to tell people you can never be too dead for a resurrection. Just have faith, keep believing. Be just like Martha who said to Jesus, "Well, if you'd been here my brother wouldn't have died. But even now, even now, I know that whatever you ask." Now let today be your "even now." Maybe you've prayed before, maybe you've been disappointed and you're wondering, "God, where are you? Where are you?" But even now, even in the middle of all of this, whatever that situation is, can you lean into Him now? Can you trust Him now? Can you rely on Him now? Because when you do, that's the secret. That's the secret, his unfailing love that no matter the outcome, you trust Him. You trust His unfailing love, that whatever is going to happen, He's going to work it all together for your good. If you can have that kind of trust, then you have all the faith that you need. You can be just like Abraham, hoping against hope, not considering the deadness of your own body, but believing that He who is faithful, He who has promised is faithful to perform. Now, we're going to pray. Before we pray, we want to encourage you to hear some people that have been healed. This is an incredible miracle from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. April 17, 2004. Kevin was serving in Bagdad, he fell, sustained major injuries. He suffered a slipped disc, bulged disc, and ruptured disc in his back and neck. He went through two surgeries and had a metal plate placed in his neck. For the next six years he didn't have a day without pain, and then about a year ago he was watching The 700 Club, Terry you had a word of knowledge about someone with chronic pain in the disc and vertebra of the back and you said there's nothing the doctors can do about it, but the great physician says, "Today, He's healing you." Well, the pain in Kevin's spine began to decrease and by the next day in was completely gone, it hasn't returned and that's a miracle. That's going to be a creative miracle about to happen. That's awesome. Well, this is Dave who lives in Fall River, Massachusetts. He played third base for years in the community softball league. During the 2009 season, he injured his right shoulder and had pain and the loss of mobility, saw doctors several times over the next year and was taking medication for his condition. Then last July he was watching this program, he heard you, Gordon, mention someone named Dave. Gordon received a word of knowledge about a rotator cuff injury in the right shoulder and you said, "God is healing and knitting that all back together for you. Dave said he actually felt a tingling sensation in his shoulder and suddenly the pain was gone, his range of motion was restored and he was back playing on the softball team in less than two weeks. Wow! Play safely. Softball can cause a lot of injuries. Anyway, let today be the day. Just lean into Him. You know, leave aside all concern, all worry. Don't for a minute think it's based on what you do. It's not. It's based on what He did, and it's already done. He did it 2000 years ago. By his stripes, we were healed, and all we have to do is lean into that, rely on that, trust that. He'll come through for you. Let's pray. "Lord, we lift the needs of the audience to you and as people are laying hands on that area of the body that needs healing. As people are raising their hands to receive from you, just seeking you, and just saying, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment. If I could just touch Jesus, I'll be healed.” We just ask now that you manifest yourself to them. That your presence will overshadow them and be on them now, that they would know that you love and that you care for them. That you number every hair on their head. And now, Lord, we say together with them, be healed and be made whole in Jesus' name." There's someone, it's a woman, you're suffering with extraordinary pain in your right elbow. You've had tendons that are torn, ruptured is the word, and it's very difficult for you to move the joint. God is healing you now. What you couldn't do before, do it now. Begin moving that arm and realize that that pain has left you and it will never return. Terry. There's a woman. You work in a Hispanic preschool and you have some kind of a back injury, like up at the top of your spine. Right now, just feel that release, it's like what's been tight and held tightly and in pain is just going to let go as God touches your back and heals you. There's someone else. You've had a dislocated left hip from an automobile accident and God's putting that together, re-knitting it. You're not going to have that pain anymore. In Jesus' name. If you've been touched by God, we want to share in your good report. So call us, 1-800-759-0700. We leave you with this word from Exodus: . . . . "For I am the Lord who heals you." God bless you. We'll see you again We asked CBN.com users how we could make our website easier to use, and we listened. There’s family, there’s health, there’s everything I’m interested in right here. The click of a mouse, and I’m there. The information opens up a whole lot quicker. Yes, it’s much faster. It really is. Check this out. Okay, so you can see all the different things that I have “done.” Anyone can enjoy this site. It’s very easy to find anything. The new CBN.com has been redesigned with you in mind, making it faster to find your favorite 700 Club stories, musical guests, our online community, or special features. You can find what you’re looking for, and then you can just go to it. It’s really easy to read and move through. I will use the site a whole lot more now. And it’s really easy on the eyes, so you can spend a lot of time on it. This new home page is wonderful! So, thank you. It’s so easy to use. Oh, you’re welcome. I did it myself. Well good. I love the new look at feel of it. Visit the new CBN.com today.